Method of making a wax compound



Patented Apr. 6, 1954 METHOD OF MAKIN G A WAX COMPOUND Ralf B. Trusler,Dayton,

Davies-Young Soap Co corporation of Ohio No Drawing.

Original a Ohio, assignor to The mpany, Dayton, Ohio, a

pplication May 26, 1949,

Serial No. 95,562. Divided and this application May 18, 1950, Serial No.162,807

4 Claims.

My invention relates to wax coatings for various supporting surfaces,but particularly for airplanes, automobiles and Wood finished surfaces.

This application is a division of Serial No. 95,562, filed May 26, 1949.

It is an object of this invention to provide a composition in whichwaxes of a particular type are partially carried in solution andpartially in suspension and which, when they are sprayed, havesufficient wetting action to bring about complete distribution andpenetration in any voids, depressions or irregularities in metal orcloth.

It is another object of this invention to provide a composition inwhich, upon being sprayed, the Wax in suspension will be retained in thevoids, depressions and interstices of the supporting surfaces.

It is a further object of this invention that the wax in solution becapable of taking a polish as the solution dries and will form a smoothand protecting layer over the irregularities of the supporting surfaceand act as a seal for the wax in suspension in the voids, depressionsand interstices of the supporting surface. Therefore, it is possible touse a light polish on a wax that has been so sprayed.

The result is that it is possible to not only provide a uniform andbrilliant finish on the supporting surface, but to eliminate, in thecase of airplanes as well as automobiles, icing under some conditionsand to increase the speed of any plane or vehicle whose surface has beentreated with the composition of this invention.

There are two types of wax-first, Wing wax used on metal airplanes andon cloth airplanes.

Generally speaking, this wax is used on a surface that has some degreeof roughness, that is, it is not lacquered. The second type is used onautomobiles which have the usual lacquered surfaces. These uses are notexclusive but they are typical.

In spray Wax you must wet the surface to give initial adherence andthereafter it must be adaptable to a rubbing or wiping by a clothv thatgives the final polish and causes the Wax to adhere to the surfaceswithout smearing. (It is to be noted that if you use the composition onautomobiles that is recommended for airplanes that you may get smearing--the explanation to this follows hereinafter.)

Prior waxes in the case of airplanes have used an emulsifier and usuallyhave some water in solution. This has resulted in these waxes notsticking to the aircraft. They are soluble in rains, do not preventicing and result in corrosion. Such waxes have some water solublematerials.

In the instant invention I have no water soluble materials.

Previous waxes of this type have the waxes all in suspension and none insolution. The physical advantage of my discovery of having the waxespartly in solution, but the major portion in suspension, will beindicated hereinafter.

This invention consists of a certain percentage of wax in suspension anda smaller percentage of wax in solution and the adjustment of relativepercentages of total Wax in pounds to total solvent in pounds accordingto the roughness of the surface, that is, for a rough surface like thatof an aluminum airplane or cloth a larger percentage of wax iscustomarily employed to the total poundage of solvent than in the caseof a lacquered surface that is smoother.

Example I In wax to be used on airplanes, the ratio of wax to solvent isfour pounds of wax to one hundred pounds of solvent.

The percentage of wax that is in solution is 12.5% of the total wax,while the balance of the wax, that is, 87.5% of the total wax, is insuspension.

The airplane type of wax under Example I is preferably a montanic esterof ethylene glycol with an acid number of 20 to 50. As a substitute afatty acid ester, an oxidized petroleum, or an oxidized paraffin may beused. This wax is dissolved and suspended in a petroleum solvent. Anexample of such solvent is naphtha with a flash point of 85 to 90 and alimitation on flash point of not below 50.

Example II In wax that is used on automobiles the total wax is 2%, thatis, two pounds out of every one hundred pounds pf the total mix leaves98 pounds for solvent. Of this amount of wax 20% of the total wax willgo into solution and will go into suspension.

A typical preferred wax is carnauba wax with an acid number ofapproximately 3 to 8.

Example III 2% of carnauba wax Balance mineral spirits with a flashpoint of The procedure is as follows:

The wax is melted and the solvent is added as the wax melts until 20% ofthe solvent intended to be used is added. The balance of the Example V4% of montanic ester of ethylene-glycol known:

in the trade as I. G. Farben I. G. Wax E.

The procedure is the same asthat in either. Example III or IV for theincorporating of the.

solvents and the waxes.

Example VI Solvay waxes Nos. 3 to 11. These waxes are pure white, tough,and non-crystalline;

The procedure is to incorporate the wax and mineral spirits as in anyone of the previous examples.

The essential feature of all these examples is to make the wax fineenough to spray so that the result will be approximately 20% of the waxutilized left in solution and 80% thereof in suspension.

One of the characteristics of thewax should be that it has limitedsolubility or controlled solubility.

The surface, when sprayed with the composition should be slightly wetand sufficient wax applied to cover the surface; The necessity forwetting the surface is togive initial adherence so that the compositionwill dry on the surface as a fine powder. When the wax is wiped by acloth it polishes and will adhere to the surface without smearing. Inthis manner the wax in solution will give a polished surface and the waxin suspension in the solvent will enter the interstices, impressions,and pores of the surface.

It has been discovered. in prior waxes which were sprayed on or rubbedthat the low melting point would cause smearing and greater labor ofapplication. It has been the practice to use a softer wax with the hardwax to plasticize the hard wax to make it softer. In some instancesthere has been used in' the prior art lubricating oils, a liquid fattyacid, or a stearic solid fatty acid to soften the wax. The problem thusencountered will explain to some degree the action of this invention ashereinafter pointed out.

There has also been used a neutral wax produced by Solvay chemical,numbers 5 to 11, which has no acid number. The montanic ester has anacid number of from 20 to 50. Carnauba wax has been used with an acid.number of from 3 to 8 which is fully satisfactory.

It is desirable that the solvent used willv not be affected by enginecoolants,.fuel or ice.

It is desirable to use a petroleum solvent in which the aromatic is keptdown to prevent injury to the surface. It should have a solvencycorresponding to Kauri Butanol #35.

The use of solvents is recommended that have three characteristics: (a)incapacity to absorb water; (2)) a capacity not to be affected byalcohol, coolants and fuels; and (c) a capacity regularly to maintain awax of given specification with a certain percentage in solution and a'larger percentage in suspension. Such solvent should be so selected thatit is. possible tovary this relative amount in suspension and insolution automatically to facilitate ease of production to adapt the waxto different uses.

It has been discovered that on planes the instant invention has longlife, will not, under some conditions, adhere to ice and accordinglyprevents icing. It will also add to the speed of aircraft indicatingthat it reduces burbles and turbulence on wax surfaces.

The basic problem is to provide that in an aircraft in flight when theair passes over the plane surface that the Crookes layer will remainundisturbed. This insulating layer of relatively deadv air permits ofsmooth aircraft operation and eliminates any burbles or turbulence dueto the high speed air entering the minute irregularities on the surfacesof the aluminum or the fabric. This is probably the explanation for thereason why the instant invention increases air speed and prevents icingunder certain conditions.

As there is no water in this mixture and as the surface of the airplanehas been rendered completely smooth by this wax, filling theirregularities of aircraft surface, the Crookes layer is permitted toremain undisturbed. This also explains why physically, under certainconditions, there is no icing for the reason that (a) there is noanchorage for the ice in the irregularities of the plane surfaces; (1))there is no water for causing adherence of the ice, the water beingderived from the former Waxes; and (c) the undisturbed air layer acts asan insulator on the surface of the aircraft so that the icing conditionsand the beginning of ice crystals cannot build up due to the fact thatthere is no Water in the coating mixture.

This is confirmed by the examination of the structural conditions andthe physical arrangement of this wax. Assuming it is an irregularaluminum surface when the wax is sprayed on that surface, the solventand the wax in solution will enter and fill up the interstices andirregularities on the surface of the aluminum or the cloth. The body ofwax in solution will be deposited on the under part of theirregularities of the aluminum and enclose the material that is insuspension in the depressions.

When there is a rub down as by the wiping of the cloth after spraying,the Wax in suspension is not only anchored by the irregularities of thealuminum but also adheres more firmly due to its association with thewax of the solution derived from the solvent.

When the solvent dries there is a wax body that completely covers thesurface of the aluminum above the top of the ridges or projections andis interlocked in the surfaces of the depressions of th aluminum or thefabric. This accounts for the fact that the solvent effect by thesolvent on the wax by putting a part of it in suspension and a smallpart in solution is essential to theoperation of a wax of this type andgives these unexpected results.

The range of :pounds of wax to solvent, for instance, may vary from 2 to6 pounds per about one hundred pounds of solvent depending upon the useand nature of the solvent.

While the forms of the invention illustrated herein constitute preferredforms of the invention; yet it will 'be understood that other'forms ofthe invention can be produced without departing from the spirit andconcept of the invention and the modifications that fall Within thescope of the appended claims are intended to be included herein.

I claim:

1. In a method of making a fluid composition for use as a filling a-ndfinishing compound, which composition contains between about 2 to 6pounds of a wax per about 100 pounds of a petroleum solvent having asolvency corresponding to Kauri Butanol #35, and which Wax has an acidnumber of about 20 to 50 and is relatively insoluble in said solvent inthe cold, the steps consisting of (a) melting the wax; (b) adding about2-0 pounds of the solvent to the molten wax; and (c) cooling the mixtureand adding the balance of about 80 pounds of the solvent while themixture is cold accompanied by a rapid stirring in order to finelydivide the wax in the solvent, whereby about 20% of the wax is insolution and about 80% of the wax is in suspension.

2. In a method of making a fluid composition for use as a filling andfinishing compound, which composition contains about 2 pounds ofcarnauba wax per 100 pounds of mineral spirits having a solvencycorresponding to Kauri Butanol #35 and which wax has an acid number ofabout 3 to 8, the steps consisting of (a) melting the carnauba wax; (b)adding about 20 pounds of the mineral spirits to the molten wax; (c) ofcooling the mixture and adding the balance of about 80 pounds of themineral spirits while the mixture is cold accompanied by rapid stirringto finely divide the wax in the mineral spirits, whereby about 20% ofthe wax is in solution and about 80% of the wax is in suspension.

3. In a method of making a fluid composition for use as a filling andfinishing compound, which composition contains about 4 pounds ofmontanic ester of ethylene glycol per 100 pounds of naphtha having asolvency corresponding to Kauri Butanol #35, the steps consisting of (a)melting the montanic ester of ethylene glycol; (b) adding about 20pounds of the naphtha to the molten montanic ester of ethylene glycol;(c) cooling th mixture and adding the balance of about pounds of thenaphtha while the mixture is cold accompanied by rapid stirring tofinely divide the montanic ester of ethylene glycol in the naphtha,whereby about 20% of the montanic ester of ethylene glycol is insolution and about 80% of the montanic ester of ethylene glycol is insuspension.

4. In a method of making a fluid composition for use as a filling andfinishing compound, which composition contains between about 2 and 6pounds of a wax per pounds of a petroleum solvent having a solvencycorresponding to Kauri Butanol #35, which Wax is relatively insoluble inthe solvent in the cold and selected from the group consisting of waxeshaving an acid number in the range between 3 and 8 and waxes having anacid number in the range between 20 and 50, the steps consisting of (a)melting the wax; (2)) adding a predetermined portion of the 100 poundsof petroleum solvent to the molten wax; and (c) cooling the mixture andadding the balance of the 100 pounds of petroleum solvent while themixture is cold accompanied by a rapid stirring in order to finelydivide the wax in the solvent, the amount of solvent added in steps (b)and (0) respectively being controlled so that, in the final composition,from 12.5% to 20% of the wax is in solution and from 80% to 87.5% of thewax is in suspension.

References Cited in the file Of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 2,214,263 Weihe Sept. 10, 1940 2,311,338 Holtsclaw et a1 Feb.16, 1943 2,596,829 Trusler May 13, 1952

4. IN A METHOD OF MAKING A FLUID COMPOSITION FOR USE AS A FILLING ANDFINISHING COMPOUND, WHICH COMPOSITION CONTAINS BETWEEN ABOUT 2 AND 6POUNDS OF A WAX PER 100 POUNDS OF A PETROLEUM SOLVENT HAVING A SOLVENCYCORRESPONDING TO KAURI BUTANOL #35, WHICH WAX IS RELATIVELY INSOLUBLE INTHE SOLVENT IN THE COLD AND SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WAXESHAVING AN ACID NUMBER IN THE RANGE BETWEEN 3 AND 8 AND WAXES HAVING ANACID NUMBER IN THE RANGE BETWEEN 20 AND 50, THE STEPS CONSISTING OF (A)MELTING THE WAX; (B) ADDING A PREDETERMINED PORTION OF THE 100 POUNDS OFPETROLEUM SOLVENT TO THE MOLTEN WAX; AND (C) COOLING THE MIXTURE ANDADDING THE BALANCE OF THE 100 POUNDS OF PETROLEUM SOLVENT WHILE THEMIXTURE IS COLD ACCOMPANIED BY A RAPID STIRRING IN ORDER TO FINELYDIVIDED THE WAX IN THE SOLVENT, THE AMOUNT OF SOLVENT ADDED IN STEPS (B)AND (C) RESPECTIVELY BEING CONTROLLED SO THAT, IN THE FINAL COMPOSITION,FROM 12.5% TO 20% OF THE WAX IS IN SOLUTION AND FROM 80% TO 87.5% OF THEWAX IS IN SUSPENSION.